At the Sign of the Sugared Plum

The prequel to Petals in the Ashes

Review

It is 1665 and Hannah, the spirited heroine, is thrilled at the chance to visit London to help her sister in her sweetmeats shop, The Sugared Plum.

Upon arrival however, Hannah learns that plague is threatening to devastate the city and that behind the excitment of first love and a new way of life lurks the shadow of death. How will Hannah and her sister survive?

This lively and absorbing tale convincingly conveys the atmosphere of seventeenth-century London streetlife.

Mary Hooper has been writing professionally for over 20 years. She started by writing short stories and serials for teenage and women's magazines when her children were small. Having done a few hundred, and thinking it would be good to see something more permanent on the shelves, she wrote and had published 15 teenage novels. Following this, she wrote another 15 novels or so for younger readers, all humorous.

She is perhaps best known for her historical fiction, which captures the atmosphere of the past perfectly and mixes it with romance and adventure. At The Sign of the Sugared Plum was her first historical novel for Bloomsbury. She has since written seven more including Fallen Grace. Mary left school at 15 with no qualifications. She worked as a secretary for some years, then got married and had two children. She took an English degree at Reading University as a mature student and graduated in 1990. She now divides her time between writing more serious books for teenagers and funny stuff for ages seven to twelve.

What you thought...

Average rating:

This and Petals in the Ashes are my favourites!!!

Larisa, Lewisham, 1 Tachwedd 2017

it was helpfull to use before i read the book but wasnt that good i didnt feel like you were selling it me i thought you were saying its ok i enjoyed it use more umph like fabulouse factual sell the book to people make them want to read it i will read it but it doesnt sound amazing as it could be